PULTENEY STREET SURVEY - SPRING 2017

Creating Community with Mary Herlihy Gearan

by Mary K. LeClair

A month after arriving at Hobart and William Smith Colleges while contemplating her future in
a new community, Mary Herlihy Gearan volunteered to be the cookie mother for her 6-year
old daughter Madeleine’s Girl Scout troop.

“I had no idea how that one decision was going to catapult me into a lot of people’s lives in
a way that was so special for us,” says Gearan, recalling not only the hundreds of boxes of cookies
that lined the tables and floors of The President’s House but more significantly the mothers, fathers,
guardians and grandparents who came with their children to pick up those cookies.

From that first outreach in 1999, Gearan’s gracious and genuine nature has spread across
Geneva and the HWS campus, where her effortless ability to welcome and connect people –
students, faculty and community members – has allowed her to spread her belief in the power of
service. On campus she formally extends her home to students for an Open House each Friday – or
any day they come knocking – greeting each at the door with a warm smile, asking about their
classes and families, and then introducing them to others with similar interests.

Mary Herlihy Gearan with Felipe Estefan ’08
on campus.

“Mary Gearan is the heart of the Hobart and William Smith community and the source of
making community happen,” says Felipe Estefan ’08, who credits Gearan with urging him to go
to graduate school, which led to his career as an investment principal in governance and citizen
engagement at Omidyar Network. “She creates community. It is truly remarkable the guidance,
comfort and advice that she has given me but also to so many students. She is the reason so many of us feel at home in this small town in
Upstate New York whether we came from
Tucson, Arizona, Johannesburg, South Africa,
Munich, Germany or Bogotá, Colombia.”

In Geneva, Gearan has become a
vital force quietly volunteering at multiple
agencies with a particular focus on those that
aid children. As the Room Representative
for Madeleine’s classroom, she witnessed
firsthand the needs in the community. “I had
one little boy ask what I was going to be doing
with the food from a class party,” Gearan
recalls. “I could see that the snacks – the
celery and carrots – were what he wanted. I
packed them all up for him and it really broke
my heart because I knew this was going to be
food that he was going to eat that weekend.
This experience opened my eyes to the
importance of really being involved as best
you can with helping kids.”

Ford Weiskittel, past president of the
Geneva Board of Education and fellow
Rotarian, is grateful for Gearan’s support
of the city schools and the community.
“When Mark and Mary decided to send
their daughters to the Geneva schools not
only did that make a statement of support
for the schools but it also meant they were
personally involved, especially Mary. She
is always in the schools and when I see her
she is always greeting students by name and
encouraging them to get involved,” he says.

Weiskittel credits Gearan with the
significant growth of the Interact program
and the vast community involvement with
the annual Festival of Nations celebration.
“I think it has a lot to do with Mary making
the kids feel welcome. They feel honored,
valued and they want to be involved,” he
says. “The school district is getting better
and better every year, and Mary is like the
hand that rolls across a hoop to make it
go faster. She is adding to the momentum,
adding to the improvement.”

In retrospect, Gearan, a former vice
president at the Wexler Group, believes her
skill in connecting people
blossomed while overseeing
volunteers in Chicago during
the Michael S. Dukakis
presidential campaign.
Possessing a law degree
from George Washington
University, she worked as a
fundraiser, national delegate
liaison and California Field
Desk Officer on the 1988
campaign.

“I appreciate the
volunteer coordinators who I
have had in my life who did
welcome me in and thank me
for coming. They have been
my models of just trying to make people know that you
do appreciate them so much
when they can help you a
little bit,” she says. “I hope I
make people feel appreciated
for anything they can do to
help.”

Mary Boatfield,
the CEO of Finger Lakes
Cerebral Palsy-Happiness
House, CP Rochester and
Rochester Rehabilitation,
where Gearan has served
on the board for the past
15 years, calls Gearan “the
connector.”

“Mary is always making the circle
bigger and better while always helping
others,” says Boatfield. “She is strong,
thoughtful, quietly getting the job done
–and giving credit to others. Mary is truly
interested in each and every person and
what they are doing. She makes you feel good, as if you are important and your life
is important. And every single piece of
guidance that she passes along she does
it in a way to help individuals better their
lives.”

Mary Herlihy Gearan presents a check from the Colleges to the United Way, the
result of the HWS Community Barn Sale.

Chris Lavin ’81, executive director
of the Boys & Girls Club and the Geneva
Community Center since 2014, agrees.
“Through Mary Gearan, when I arrived in
Geneva two years ago, I was immediately
connected to the campus and the
community was connected to me,” says
Lavin, who champions Gearan’s capacity
to recognize the needs in the community
and match those needs to campus
capabilities. “HWS students and faculty
are all over town, studying, volunteering,
doing research. The Colleges host regular
visits of local youth, summer enrichment programs and athletic camps. Mary Gearan
has broadened the definitions of “campus”
and “community” in Geneva.”

Aloysius Kolubah’15 not only credits
Gearan with making him feel confident in
his decision to work in the fashion industry,
he says she “pulled me back when I was
trying to run away from my goal.” He recalls
being on the verge of tears in the kitchen
of the President’s House believing the job
market was too competitive. “She said to
me, ‘Aloysius, sometimes you have to let life
happen.’ It was so comforting and calming
to know that she believed in me and that I
could do this.”

Gearan asked Kolubah to offer his
artistic talents for the Festival of Nations
celebration and he now calls it one of the
best experiences in his life. “Festival of
Nations was one of those rare moments
when I sat back exhausted and happy
that everyone around me was happy and
enjoying themselves. I would do it again if I
could,” he says.

Joseph Rivera-Ramos ’04, a textile and
resource librarian at Stickley, Audi and Co.,
in Manhattan and the president of Rivera-
Ramos Design for the Art of Living, says:
“Mary Gearan’s promotion of my abilities has
positively altered my perspective on success
and prosperity, and will forever connect
me to a greater sense of myself and my
potential.”

During Friday Open House visits, Emily
Ott ’17 often discusses with Gearan her
desire to work in the field of city planning
and her community projects. As president of
HWS Rotaract, Ott’s civic engagement work
has blossomed, assisting with programs like
Neighbor’s Night, the Community Lunch
Program and the Geneva Public Library.
“Mary Gearan has inspired me to dedicate
time for service and mentoring wherever I
am living, whatever I am doing.”

Marie Milligan, social ministry
coordinator at Our Lady of Peace Parish, has
worked with Gearan on such projects as the
Thanksgiving basket program and migrant
worker initiatives.

“Mary Gearan is a light that shows
others the way and how to do their best.
Mary does good work and supports the good
work of others. She makes things happen
from the background and then observes the
successes. She is a light for all of us.”

Q & A with
Mary Herlihy Gearan

Mary Herlihy Gearan speaks with students at Geneva High School prior to an
Interact meeting.

What advice do you offer to event
organizers?
The No. 1 thing is to get everyone’s
cell numbers. If you have cell numbers
you can do anything. I am not a big fan
of cell phones in many ways but that
is one thing that I do think has made
organizing easier. I can just text and get
a group together.

Number of HWS student cell numbers on
your phone? 250.

Favorite saying:
‘Peace begins with a smile,’ by Mother
Teresa. It sounds simple but I really
believe in that sort of philosophy.

Favorite fact you enjoy sharing about the
President’s House:
First lady Eleanor Roosevelt sat at this
dining room table in 1947.

As the only board that you officially
serve on, what prompted your
commitment to Happiness House more
than 15 years ago?
Shortly before I was asked to serve, Mark
and I were with our dear friends when
they discovered their son had autism.
Happiness House is an inspiring and
beautiful place that fills families with
positive hope.